Feeding and support assembly



April 1962 J. J. ECONOM ETAL 3,028,943

FEEDING AND SUPPORT ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 3, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l5; INVENTORS.

JOHN J. Eco/VON 455 F. EVA us BY eoags REAO AT ORNEY April 1962 J. J. ECONOM ETAL 3,028,943

FEE DING AND SUPPORT ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 3, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. JOHN J. ECONOM LEE F. EVANJ BY eo/25f gEAQE United States Patent FEEDING AND SUPPSRT ASSEMBLY John J. Econom, Bloomfield, and Lee 13. Evans, Montclair, N.J., and George Reade, Maiden, Mass., assignc'rs to international Teiephone and Telegraph Corporation, Nutley. N.J.. a corporation of Maryland Filed Jan. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 80,179 1 Claim. (Cl. 191-133) The present invention relates to a film feeding and support assembly and more particularly to an adjustable support carriage for supporting dispensing and take-up film spools, which is movable with respect to a printing device.

A known technique for printing titles and other related information on photographic film is to typewrite the information on the film using gold-leaf coated acetate ribbon with a standard or automatic typewriter. The photographic film generally employed can be up to 400 feet in length and as wide as 9 inches in width. A problem presented by the known technique is how such a relatively bulky film spool can be supported while the printing is being performed, particularly since the film threaded through the typewriter is being moved in the lateral direction with the typewriter platen.

An object of the present invention is to provide a film feeding and support assembly for movably supporting various size film spools proximate to a printing device.

According to the present invention a feeding and support assembly is provided which is adjustable for supporting various size film spools, the film from which is dispensed to a proximately located printing device such as a typewriter. The feeding and support assembly is movable in response to movements of the typewriter platen through which the film is threaded. v

The present invention is explained in reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodi ment of a feeding and support assembly following the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a detail view of the assembly of FIG. 1 showing how film spools are mounted thereon.

Referring to FIG. 1, a feeding and support assembly for supporting a medium on which printing is to be performed relative to a printing device 4 is shown comprising a support means 1, a medium retaining means 2 mounted on support means 1 for relative movement thereon, and means 3 coupling medium retaining means 2 to the printing device so that medium retaining means 2 moves in response to movements of printing device 4.

Support means 1 consists of a support frame 1 standing independently of printing device 4 and including two parallel bars 141 and 1b supported by four legs 10, 1d, 1e, and If and connected by parallel rods 1g and 1h. Bars 1:: and 1b are cylindrical in shape and form tracks on which runners are mounted. Bars 1a and 1b are parallel to each other and to a platen 4a on printing means 4. Printing means 4 may be a standard or automatic typewriter of conventional design. Spool retaining means 2 is a carriage including two framepieces 2a and 2b which extend between bars in and 1b. 'Framepieces 2a and 2b are each mounted on bars 1a and lb by means of assemblies 2c, 2d, 2e, and 2 each containing low friction linear bearings so that framepieces 2n and 2b are supported by, and are freely movable along the length of, bars 1a and 1b. Framepieces 2a and 2b are rigidly connected together by means of connecting bar 2g, which is also employed to adjustably space the framepieces. Connecting bar 2g is affixed to framepiece 2a and passes through an aperture 2 in framepiece 2b. A set-screw 2h is located on framepiece 21) to secure framepiece 2b to connecting bar 2g,

3,028,943 Patented Apr. 10, 1962 thereby rigidly connecting framepiece 2a to framepicce 2b at any desired spacing.

Framepiece 2b contains spindles 6 and 8 on which spools may be mounted. Referring to FIG. 2, a detailed view of the present invention is shown to illustrate how a variety of diiferent width film spools may be mounted within framepieces 2a and 2b. Framepiece 2b is spaced along connecting bar 2g an appropriate distance in accordance with the particular width of the film spools to be mounted. A first film spool 5 is mounted between framepieces 2a and 2b on spindle 6 so that it is free to rotate. The film 5a from spool 5 is passed around platen 4a of printing device 4 and is then threaded onto a takeup spool 7 which is mounted between framepieces 2a and 2b on spindle 8. It is seen that as platen 4a is revolved in the usual course of typing, film 5a will be drawn from spool 5. In FIG. 1, belt 3c is shown connecting platen 4a and shaft 9. Shaft 9 engages spool 7 when the spool is mounted on spindle 8 so that as platen 4a revolves, the revolutional movement is transmitted to spool 7. Therefore, the revolving platen 4a draws film 5a from spool 5 and causes take-up spool 7 to rewind film 5a after it has been typed.

It was stated hereinabove that the entire spool retaining carriage 2, including framepieces 2a and 2b, connecting bar 2g, and mounted spools 5 and 7 is free to move along bars 1a and 1b. A coupling means 3 is provided to transmit the lateral motion of platen 4a to spool retaining carriage 2 so that as film 5a moves laterally during the typing operation the spools 5 and 7 will move accordingly. Coupling means 3 includes a vertical bar 3b rigidly connected to bearing assembly 2d and a forked bar 3a rigidly connected to platen 4a. During operation of the system bar 3b is positioned within the tines of forked bar 3a so that lateral movements of platen 4a will be transmitted through bar 3b to bearing assembly 2d, thereby moving spool retaining carriage 2 in accordance with movements of platen 4a. The linear bearings within assemblies 2c, 2d, 22, and 2 are designed to have a very low coefficient of friction, so it may be desirable in some instances to provide damping means, such as dash-pots, within the bearing assemblies to prevent spool retaining carriage 2 from a tendency to overshoot.

Printing means 4 is mounted on two tracks 41; and 40 for easy disengagement. When belt 30 is disconnected from platen 4a and printing means 4 is moved forward on tracks 41; and 4c, bar 3b is removed from between the tines of forked bar 311 and printing device 4 and spool retaining carriage 2 may be moved independently of each other.

A manual film rewind knob 10 is provided on framepiece 2a so that film 5a may be rewound on spool 5 if desired.

A further feature of the present invention is that a film frame count may be obtained by having a revolution counter 11 coupled to spool retaining carriage 2, for example at shaft 9, which is coupled by a flexible shaft 9a to a frame count indicator 12.

When an automatic typewriter is employed, the entire printing procedure may be programmed such that the film is automatically advanced and the desired information is automatically typed on given frames by using the capabilties of presently available automatic typewriters.

It is seen from the above discussion that a new and useful structure has been devised for feeding and supporting film or other printing mediums. The invention is adaptable to various widths of film, moves the film in unison with movements of the printing device, and rewinds the film as it is printed.

While I have described above the principles of my invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of my invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claim.

We claim:

An arrangement for supporting and feeding photographic film on which typing is to be performed relative to a typewriter comprising a support frame standing independent of said typewriter, said support frame including two horizontally extending parallel bars, a carriage assembly including two parallel framepieces extending orthogonal to said parallel bars, four bearing assemblies coupling the ends of said framepieces to said parallel bars, a connecting bar connected to one of said framepieces and extending through an aperture in the other of said framepieces, means on said other of said framepieces for rigidly connecting said connecting bar thereto, a vertical bar extending from one of said bearing assemblies, a forked bar connected to said typewriter and engaging said vertical bar so that the horizontal movements of the typewriter platen are transmitted to said carriage assembly, a first and second film spool, said first spool having film thereon in threadable engagement with said second spool through the platen of the typewriter, and first and second spindles mounted on one of said framepieces for supporting said first and second film spools so that said film spools move horizontally with movements of the typewriter platen.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 465,021 Hill et al Dec. 15, 1891 861,943 Bledsoe et al. July 30, 1907 1,530,134 Monroe Mar. 17, 1925 1,814,142 Frantz July 14, 1931 

